Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Since taking this class and from previous classes I have grown much when it has come to diversity. I never knew just how much that I did not know about diversity and learning about how many ism’s there are. I have always accepted and respected people for whom they are. To be able to do that is first you must know your self-identity, “The better you know yourself, the better you can understand your responses to children and families you work with,” this is what Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) suggest. When it comes to being an educator, it is important for individuals to understand their self-identity to flourish and to lead others in the right direction. 

An ism that I feel that I see not only in the classroom but everywhere is racism; children have been learning that from the very beginning of their life. They hear their parents talking about and seeing it in the news every day. Teaching children to know that being mean or saying mean things about or to someone is not good thing. As educators we must teach the children that we are all equal, and the color of a person skin or where they come from doesn’t mean that they are much different than them. Our focus should be on teaching them to being kind and understanding to everyone. When I hear a child saying that they can’t play with certain people because they are of a different race, I find that to be a good time to talk about how that can make someone feel bad.

In my classroom I expect every student to respect me and their classmates. Children learn from adults and others so I must treat them and others with respect.  Being the teacher I set the tone for the way I want things to be in my classroom.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).